After the Indus Valley Civilisation the earliest remnants of architecture and sculpture are found in the Magadha. This was one of the sixteen mahajanapadas of ancient Indian and a number of empires have ruled over it. Broadly speaking two dynasties emerged that changed the art, culture and life of Magadha. The Mauryas and the Guptas were instrumental in creating an architectural heritage of which Indian is proud of even today. The Magadha sculpture, hence, embodies the artistic brilliance and splendour.

It was the Mauryan sculpture that attracted the attention of the world with its lofty pillars, lion thrones, the railings of the stupas and other colossal sculptures. It would be amazing to note that all these were carved out of stone. In fact emperor Ashoka is often hailed as the first ruler to `think in stone.` Besides the artistic wizardry the Mauryan architecture and sculpture are of great religious and historical value. These works of art include the finest specimens of Buddhist Indian sculpture.

The Gupta Empire preceded the Mauryan dynasty. Their rule is considered the golden Age in India. Art and architecture flourished like never before. The contribution of the royal patronage in this development could not be denied. The Gupta sculpture led to the formation of two schools of thought: the Mathura School (North India) and Gandhara School (South India). The sculptures created in these schools were primarily Buddha images. The similarity between the Mauryan and Gupta sculptures lies in the fact that both concentrated on religious sculptures and architectures.